Pete Bonnington, Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer, has signed a new deal at Mercedes and will become the head of race engineering.
Bonnington or ‘Bono’ has been by Hamilton’s side since he joined the team 11 years ago and has won six Formula 1 titles with the Brit.
But the 39-year-old is finally set to part ways with his trusty mentor as he prepares to start a new chapter with Ferrari in 2025.
It has been a positive season for Hamilton, who has won two races – at Silverstone and Spa – ending a two-year plus wait to stand back on the top step.
The seven-time world champion is finally back in a competitive car and will be keen to score a few more victories with Bono before they go their separate ways.
Bono will continue to work as Hamilton’s engineer until the end of the season and will work with one of the Mercedes drivers in 2025.
The end of an iconic duo 🥲
Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington secures a promotion at Mercedes – meaning he won’t move to Ferrari with Lewis 👋#F1https://t.co/REymRMmrBb
— Formula 1 (@F1) AUGUST 21, 2024
However, it remains unclear whether that will be George Russell or Hamilton’s replacement, who has still not been confirmed.
As it stands, F2 racer Kimi Antonelli is the favourite for the gig.
Bono’s new role mirrors the job Max Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase has.
He works as Red Bull’s head of race engineering while guiding the current champion on the track.
Formula 1 returns this weekend when the drivers head to Verstappen’s home race in the Netherlands.
